Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
by OKBooey31
Summary: 'We're going down. And you can see it, too. We're going down. And you know that we're doomed. My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room.' Klaroline, Mabekah, Delena, Stelena, Kalijah, and more.
1. Because You Can't Understand

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire diaries.**

**Rated T just to be safe...I dunno what else I'll end up writing for these oneshots.**

_'I was the one you always dreamed of. You were the one I tried to draw. How dare you say it's nothing to me? Babe, you were the only light I ever saw. I'll make the most of all the sadness. You'll be a bitch because you can. You try to hit me just to hurt me, so you leave me feeling dirty, because you can't understand. ' _**  
**

"Hey are you going to Elena's?" Matt asked her as she walked past him as he was busing tables at the Grille.

Caroline stopped, repressing the growl and the tears that stung her eyes before turning on her heel to face at Matt. "Seriously? No, I'm not."

"Am I the only one who doesn't know why you're being ridiculously moody today?" he asked as if it was a joke, only making Caroline angrier.

"No, you're not. Actually, you're the only one to remotely come close to asking me 'Are you okay?' or 'Oh my gosh, it's been a year since you got Turned. How are you handling things?'. So, I guess I should be thanking you for being the _one _person in Mystic Falls for not thinking the world revolves around Elena," she snapped.

"Caroline…I had no idea…I, um…,"

Caroline sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry. That was harsh, you've been nothing but nice to me ever since…" she paused, looking around at the Grille's unsuspecting, _human_ inhabitants, "Since, _you know_," Caroline hinted at him with a raise of her eyebrows.

"No, it's okay. You're right. There are other people here who matter," Matt said with an easy but understanding smile. "But I'll still take that as a 'No, I'm not going'?"

She nodded. "Yeah…I…I feel awful for this, I mean she's my best friend but there's only so much doppelganger drama I can take. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, Care. Have a good night!"

Caroline walked out into the night with a sigh. She had meant what she said, but she felt bad saying it around Matt. She strode towards her car, eager to get home and curl up in bed and maybe eat the rest of the Cookie Dough ice cream that was in the fridge.

"Caroline!" the crisp accented voice caught up to her easily in the night air, not that it wouldn't have anyways with her supernatural hearing and all but she liked to pretend that if she was human- if this was taking place a year ago today- that she wouldn't have heard him; that his voice wouldn't have such an affect on her.

Caroline didn't stop as she continued walking, "Seriously? I've had a really bad day and I don't have the patience to deal with you, _Klaus_," she sneered.

He chuckled, further enraging her, as he came to stand by her car. "If your tone wasn't so drastically different from the last time we talked out here, I might be having déjà vu, love," he said with a smirk, letting her know that she wasn't entirely forgiven for her 'Klaus-bait' role in Damon's 'Kill the Originals: Part'…well whatever attempt it had been.

"Maybe I would be, too, if I hadn't had such an awful day. Actually, the fact that I'm sitting here, _talking_ to you…yeah, it is déjà vu."

"Well, well, well, you're quite the feisty little thing tonight." Klaus smirked down at her again and she felt like steam was coming out of her ears. "Care to tell me what the problem is?"

"No," she said flashing him a sweet smile, venom dripping off the word. "But thanks for the offer."

Klaus only shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest with an amused expression as he leaned against her car.

Caroline's brow creased as she glanced at him. She pursed her lips, throwing her keys onto the driver's seat before turning to look at Klaus, "You know what? Screw them. You really want to know what's wrong?"

Klaus smiled but dropped his arms, opening himself up to her rant.

"Elena Gilbert. This _entire _town thinks the world revolves around her. As long as she's okay, everyone else should be too but we're not. Just because she got Turned, wasn't going to Transition, and then Katherine screwed things up doesn't mean I drop everything that's going on in my life," Caroline's eyes narrowed at this point, reminding Klaus that he wasn't forgiven for the body swap stunt (yeah, the one that _hadn_'t been _his_ idea) with the Lockwood boy, "to go make sure the world gets turned back on it's axis all because I'm the best friend. I mean, Elena has _two _Salvatore brothers, they need to put themselves to good use but men will stay men so they're _clueless_ about female emotions," Caroline said, ignoring Klaus' look (_Because, really?_ He thought. _Men don't understand female emotions and here I am listening to a _teenager_ rant about jealousy._)

"And don't even get me started on you," she warned, narrowing her eyes once again. But Klaus got the feeling that she was about to erupt into a rant about him despite her words. "You and your accent, and your dimples, and your horse drawings. I mean, _seriously_? You're evil, like evil incarnate and evil incarnate shouldn't have any of those things. You shouldn't even be _capable _of feeling!" she said with a humorless laugh filled with the disbelief that covered her face at the complexity of his psyche.

And, Klaus realized, he should be _estatic_ that _Caroline Forbes_ is giving him two seconds (okay, more like 5 minutes) of her time when she rarely acknowledges him on a good day. But, Klaus' face sinks into the emotionless, someone's-in-trouble-and-they're-gonna-pay-for-it-big-time mask as he remembers the Ball where she (_Very accurately,_ his subconscious adds, much to his annoyance) diagnosed the root of his problems. Klaus also recognized the feelings that also meant that Caroline's rant is about .2 seconds from ending with him snapping her pretty little neck.

"But," she bites out, daring to continue despite the look on Klaus' face. "But here you are, listening to me talk about things that shouldn't matter. So, I hope you get that you give me whip lash, like extreme whip lash 'cause I can't keep up with your mood swings."

His face softens again, "Quite the contrary. It _does_ matter to me."

"Here we go again," she says with an eye roll. "What? You hate me now that I've bashed your precious Elena Gilbert? Or you don't like people talking about you? What is it this time, Klaus?"

"Actually, it's none of the afore mentioned reasons, love. It matters because your upset…granted, I'm still trying to figure out _why. _But I hope you can forgive me because,as you so courteously mentioned, men can't keep up with women and their, ah,_ mood swings_. It would be much appreciated though, sweetheart, if you could lend me a helping hand with figuring it out?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Caroline turned from bitchy to shy in a fraction of a second as her eyes fled from Klaus' face to the pavement below her feet. Here she had been brave, _successfully _(a.k.a. Klaus not losing his patience and snapping her neck)reading Klaus the right act but she couldn't admit this inferior problem that, she was sure, he'd laugh at.

"I know we have all the time in the world but, surely, greater problems will arise in the future. Must we waste out time by waiting for this explanation?"

"You say that like we'll be together in the future."

"Let's just say I like my chances, love. I did say you'd show up at my door, whether it was a day or a century, it doesn't matter."

"Yeah you gave me two options: show up in a day, or in a century. Obviously, the option A didn't work out and if I'm counting correctly, I still have _years _left before option B is applicable."

Klaus chuckled in amusement. "And yet, here you are, pouring out your life's problems to me in the meantime. You've gotten yourself into quite the predicament."

"Yeah, no thanks to you."

"Let's not kill the messenger. I'm here, on quite _honorable _intentions to alleviate your distress," he said, that infuriating smirk playing on his lips as he held up his hands in mock offense.

"You are hardly a messenger here, Klaus, so stop acting like my knight in shining armor!" Caroline said, crossing her arms over her chest and standing slightly taller.

"Minor details, Caroline," he chided in an ever-so-slight case of annoyance, clicking his tongue. "Now, I believe you were about to confess something of importance to me?"

"Oh, is that supposed to be like _collateral damage_? Whatever," she said with a flip of her curls and yet another eye roll. "Fine, you win," she said before his intense gaze was too much to handle and Caroline turned her blue-green gaze to the pavement again. "I got Turned a year ago today. There. I said it and you can laugh now," she mumbled. Silence settled between them as she waited for Klaus to laugh, smirk, say some witty comment in his infuriating accent but he didn't so she sheepishly peered back up at him under her eyelashes.

She found him watching her. His blue eyes were light and soft, not dark or patronizing. "That's hardly a laughing matter."

"Like you know how it feels," she scoffed. He didn't know what it was like to have been one of the most hated kids at school for being shallow and conceited and fake. He didn't know what it was like to be played by a person who you thought cared for you. He didn't know what it was like to have life ripped away from you just as it was beginning by a girl who wore the same face as your best friend.

"It feels like you've been abandoned. Thrown into a place you know nothing about, surrounded by people who don't care. You feel like you're on the outside looking in and if you don't learn how to play the game you'll get left to rot. Sound familiar?" he asked, pursing his lips as a look mixed with vulnerability and frustration colored his face. "You forget that my…_parents_," he spit the word, "created the first vampires to walk the earth, love. I know _exactly _how it feels. It's probably applicable in different aspects of your life but I do know."

Caroline just looked at him, unable to respond. Part of her was screaming that she didn't say anything because she did not want to admit that, once again, Klaus had won. The other half was traitorously whispering that she was lying to her self; that the real reason she didn't respond was because Klaus had surprised her, once again, telling her _felt_ and he felt _deeply_. And the idea of it made her heart hurt for him because here he was, just like her, screaming for help while no one listened.

Taking a chance with Caroline's stunned silence, he brought a gentle hand to her face and cupped her cheek in his large palm. "The only difference, love, is that you have people who care. You just have to find them." Klaus studied her for another moment, stroking her cheek with his thumb as she continued to give him a dumbstruck look, before disappearing from in front of her like a breeze.

Caroline looked around for him foolishly before getting into her car and driving away, eager to escape the parking lot and Klaus' words. She cursed him and his silver tongue but she had half a mind to go find him.

In that moment, Caroline was positive of several things and one of them was that she was no where near ready to throw herself through the threshold of the door labeled 'Niklaus Mikaelson'.

_But you will,_ the traitorous voice whispered. _In the end, you will and you know it._

No, she definitely wasn't ready.

**A/N: hello all! Sorry for my slight absence- going out of town and working and going to the barn, a social life (wait, I have one of those?) and the need to, I dunno, maybe sleep have been keeping me away, lol. This story will be a compilation of one shots containing scenes that I would like to see in Season 4 because I'm incredibly impatient and waiting for October 11 is killing me:) I hope you enjoy them!**

**I _promise_ I have not forgotten 'Movie Night: The Sequel'. I want to get 'Lessons of Love' wrapped up before I finish that but I wanted to get this new one jump started before I did anything else. I hope those of you waiting for 'Movie Night' can forgive me!**

**Credit to the story and chapter title, and the lyrics (do they not _scream _Klaroline? lol) at the beginning, go to 'Slow Dancing in a Burning Room' by the wonderful John Mayer!**

**Thanks for reading and if you have a minute, please review:) **


	2. I've Come To Burn Your Kingdom Down

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaires**

**_Ep. 4x01_**

The storage facility was cold and dark in the early morning, the atmosphere already eerie when Connor walked through the doors. He stopped abruptly seeing the scene in front of him, the key that was swinging around his finger falling into the palm of his hand.

_How peculiar…_ he mused, taking in the scene at the front of the facility with narrowed eyes. He turned suddenly, "Wait a moment," he called to the two movers who were accompanying him to put some of his belongings into storage. Connor slammed the door shut before turning back to the large entry way where a black SUV was parked, one door ajar.

The SUV was not what had caught his attention, however. It was what was laying on the other side of the car, nearly hidden from view. Connor cautiously walked around, his dark eyes curiously studying everything in sight. The feet, barely visible behind the back tire of the vehicle, were attached to legs and those were attached to an upper body, then a head and neck.

It was an adult male. He was dead. His skin a deathly, moldy grey color that made Connor narrow his eyes further as he knelt down beside the body. Yes, the dead guy's skin was grey but it seemed that his veins were protruding from his skin. Connor brushed a hand over the man's hand, trying to get a better look at what was grasped in it. He nearly drew away at the freezing temperature and stiff skin but his curiosity had the best of him and he had soon removed the object from the man's stiff, grey hand. It was a silver encrusted stake with traces of blood staining the tip. Of that much, Connor was sure.

Connor's still narrowed eyes traveled to the other curious object in the room, not far from the SUV. He stood up and made his way eagerly towards it.

A coffin stood on it's aluminum cart near the trunk of the SUV. It was an elegant thing, the deep, dark wood shiny and polished as if it was brand new. Cautiously, Connor crept over to it. He ran his hand along the smooth grain, letting his fingers explore before along the surface before moving his hand to the side and opening it.

Another man lay within it's confines. His skin, much like the other man's, was grey and the veins were protruding from it He was wrapped in chains, his arms crossed over his chest like a mummified pharaoh of ancient Egypt. He smelled like smoke, as if someone had tried to set his body ablaze.

Connor raised his eyebrows before a sly smile rested on his features

These findings could only mean one thing.

_Vampires._

_**Cuts to End Credits.**_

**A/N: Because you can't tell me that Damon remembered to do clean up duty in his distress about Elena, lol. It's a perfect way to bring Connor, the supposed new Vamp hunter, into the story...at least I think so! Probably not how it's gonna happen since I think they just casted this role but oh well, haha.**

**Credit to chapter title goes to 'Seven Devils' by Florence + the Machine 3**

**Thanks for reading and review if you have a second!**

**P.S.: Thank you, 'Guest', for reviewing!...and again to the rest of you who reviewed:)**


	3. Crying Softly for the Way it Was Before

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries**

"Hey. Sorry I'm late. The Grille got pretty crazy for the last thirty minutes of my shift and I couldn't get away," Matt whispered as he ran a hand through his hair and dropped his rifle on the ground beside Rebekah. They were in the woods, hidden in the shadows of the trees behind Connor's house.

Rebekah didn't so much as look at Matt as he sat down beside where she leaned against a tree trunk, legs drawn up to her chest. The only sign she gave of acknowledging his presence was the way she readjusted her chin on her crossed arms and pursed her lips.

Matt rolled his eyes. "What's been going on?" he asked, nodding toward the brightly lit windows and the silhouettes of the few people, that both Rebekah and Matt figured were witches, sitting in Connor's house.

"It's been quiet. I don't think they plan on moving against us tonight when we're so close to the full moon. You can leave. There's no need for you to pretend you want to be here."

"You know, I don't understand what your problem is," Matt said, turning to look at her.

"What do you mean? You, along with this entire bloody town, hate me. There's no need to pretend other wise," Rebekah said as she finally looked at him, part of her daring him to contradict her statement, the other part begging him to tell her that her claims were untrue.

Matt's brow furrowed as he studied Rebekah's face before responding. "I was mad about what happened," he said, looking away from her. "We all were or still are or are somewhere in between being mad and getting over it. I just needed time to think things through and process it all…our lives changed that night, it was a lot to take in. I'm only human, Rebekah. I don't get as much time to think about life and hold grudges like you guys," he said, turning back to give her a small smile.

"One person in this entire town who doesn't want me dead. Fantastic," she said sarcastically, giving him a dubious look.

"Klaus doesn't want you dead. So that makes two of us."

"No. My brother can't stand the sight of me because of what I did to his precious, doppelganger wen-" Matt gave her a stern look and Rebekah rolled her eyes, "because of what I did to _Elena_. When he was back in his body, he made it explicitly clear he doesn't give a damn about me anymore."

Despite Rebekah's obvious distress at the her brother's actions, Matt laughed.

"It's not funny! I've been running my entire life all because of Petrova doppelgangers and Mikael. I refuse to apologize for growing tired of it. With all his talk of family, you would think he might realize that it's a good thing. I've grown quite weary of him complaining 'my hybrids' this and 'Elena's blood' that," she snapped, her blue eyes reflecting the hurt she felt as she glanced up at Matt. "I thought he was dead, I saw him get staked. After all the times Nik and I have spent together, he's never left my side, not once. What was I supposed to do?" she said, her voice a whisper this time, as she averted her gaze to the ground in front of her.

"No, you're right, it's not funny. I…I just get it. You try and try and try, just do things out of unconditional love or whatever but nothing ever seems to work when you just want the best for them. They just make it harder because they refuse to see you standing there, worried about them," he said quietly as he stared at the back of the house. Rebekah looked at him, studying his profile in confusion and astonishment. Matt finally turned to look at her. "I had a sister. I know what both sides feel like."

"You _had _a sister?"

Matt nodded slowly, pursing his lips.

"What happened?"

He exhaled and went back to focusing on the light that danced on the window panes. "Well, in the long run, she got turned into a vampire, was too much to handle because she just wouldn't accept help or try to control her...urges, and Stefan ended up staking her to protect Elena. I didn't know so one day, she just sort of disappeared. I had no idea what happened, where she went when she just mysteriously disappeared. I didn't get to say goodbye until last year," he said sadly, reminiscing on the past.

"Vicki…Vicki was a year older than me. We've been on our own since sixth grade. Our mom used to pop in every few months but as we got older, she stopped by less and less and spent more and more time with random guys in random places. I was upset about it but I threw myself into sports. Vicki didn't have that outlet and before I knew it, I had a drug addict for a sister. I tried everything to help her and get her to stop. I just wanted her to be happy, to realize that she still had me and we could get through everything together. I still haven't forgiven myself. Maybe if I had tried harder…," he paused and shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "I know. I get where you're coming from, I really do.

"But," Matt said, chancing a look at Rebekah, "the thing about brothers is that we want to protect what's ours, especially our sisters. We do things for them that they don't appreciate and we get pissed off when they don't return the favor the way we want. But, we always go back to them because brothers need their sisters more than they need us and…and we're afraid to let them go," he finished, closing his eyes to try and shut out the pain.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, staring out into the backyard, Rebekah digesting what Matt had just told her.

"So…you think his treatment is his way of coming to terms with everything?"

"Hey, I'm not trying to dissect what goes on inside the guy's head. I don't thing _Freud _could of figured that one out," Matt said, looking back at Rebekah with a smile and raised eyebrows. "Yeah, I guess. It's just his twisted way of showing it. _All_ of our lives changed that night, Rebekah. It's not been easy for anyone. It takes some getting used to, all of us on the same side for once and nothing will ever be the same again. I guess Klaus needs the time to process it like everyone else did…but the one thing that didn't change is that he loves you. I'll admit he has a really twisted way of showing it, but he definitely loves you, Rebekah. He needs you and if anything ever happened to you, he'd never forgive himself…or me at the moment. Klaus made it explicitly clear that if I didn't get my ass out here, I'd be the one paying the price if something happened to you."

Rebekah gave him a dubious look. "Now you're just trying to make me feel better."

"He came into the Grille with Kol just as I was about to leave," Matt explained. "I got an earful so even if I wanted to leave, I think I'd be making the smart choice by staying…as long as you don't bolt the first sign of an attack. Just because I have a damn good shot doesn't mean I'm indestructible."

Rebekah laughed slightly at his statement and the wry smile that lit up his blue eyes.

**A/N: Have I ever mentioned how much I love Mabekah? There's just this sweet innocence to it that makes no sense because it's _Rebekah_ but then again it just works because Matt's just this genuinely nice guy who is the 'moral compass' according to Zach, haha. besides, I think Zach and Claire have good chemistry but that's just me:P Anyways, I was thinking about Matt and Vicki the other day and I realized some parallels between the Donovan sibs and the Mikaelson sibs and bada-bing, bada-boom, what you just read was born, lol. I hope you liked it:)**

**Credit to chapter title goes to 'Hymn For The Missing' by RED**

**Thanks for reading and if you have a second, please leave a review:)**


	4. A Part of You That Will Never Show

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries**

**_"Take it back when it all began"_  
**

And there it was again, the strange feeling that something was pushing against the back of her mind, trying to escape. And escape it did as she continued to drain the human of their blood.

_"Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my life."_

She recognized Damon's voice through the haze of the bloodlust and it made her pause but only momentarily, passing it off as her mind playing tricks on her.

_"I _love_ you, Elena. But it's because I love you that I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this…I don't deserve you but my brother does."_

It was enough to make her gasp, something that had nothing to do with the euphoric feeling of fresh blood running through her system

"_You want a love that _consumes _you. You want passion, an adventure, and even a _little _danger."_

"_And what do you want?" she asked with a smile at the mysterious stranger named Damon._

"_I want you to get everything you're looking for," he replied with an almost pained look._

Elena's eyes snapped open and the body dropped to the floor. She blinked rapidly as if to rid herself of an occurrence in a nightmare, but, no matter how hard she tried, those words, _Damon's words_, kept floating around in her head.

"_God, I wish you didn't have to forget this…but you do."_

"_But right now, I need you to forget that this happened."_

Her eyes snapped open one final time and she found herself fighting tears and shock as both brothers came running to her rescue. She covered her open mouth with her hand as she looked at the carnage before her, her new fangs cutting through her gums. It wasn't pain of their razor sharp edges that plagued her, though.

Her eyes flashed to Damon's face, tears running down her cheeks, as the blue eyed brother observed the scene before aforementioned eyes snapped to her face. Elena averted her alarmed gaze as she crumpled to the floor, the fact that she remembered hitting her full force.

**A/N: Dun, dun, duuunnnnn ;) I'm like 100% positive that I'm not the only one who's curious as to how they go about this sequence and how Elena deals with it. After she remembers I sort of see her keeping it quiet and not bringing it up because what she remembers makes her feel guilty. Also, I'm not sure when a new vampire would start to remember things during Transition but I'm assuming the memories come during/after they first feed but please correct me if I'm wrong:)**

**I also want to know how they're going to handle how Elena's feeding goes. For this, I foresee her originally not wanting to Transition and someone getting hurt in front of her OR Stefan and Damon spend sooo much time arguing on if she'll have a live feed or drink from a blood bag first that Elena accidently takes matters into her own hands...oopsies. Ugh, anyway, October 11 needs to hurry up so we all can find out:)**

**Song: 'Little House' by The Fray (I've been on a Fray kick lately so it's probably safe to say that their amazing songs will influence a couple more chapters)**

**Thanks for reading and please review if you have a minute:)**


	5. Her Ten Cent Pistol

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries**

"I don't care about the Bennett witch and what she's up to. You shouldn't either."

"Why are you so intent on giving up on this?" Elijah asked calmly.

"Because I know what I saw, Elijah," Rebekah said into the phone, forcing her eldest brother's name through her teeth.

"There is something amiss here and you know it, Rebekah. The Bennett witch could very well be the only one who is able to shed some light on the situation."

"And you're willing to place your trust in the abilities of a mediocre witch?" Rebekah scoffed and upon hearing the silence on the other end of the line, Rebekah squeezed her eyes shut and fought against the tears that were begging to be shed, once again, on Klaus' behalf. "Fine. Do whatever you will, Elijah, I do not care. But, please, spare me the additional pain when you turn up empty handed!" she cried out, hanging up instantly as she strode absently through the now all too empty halls of their home.

The open front door caught her eye. "Kol?" She called, turning towards the twin marble staircases that lined the extravagant foyer before diverting her attention back to the front door.

"Oh, come on, I'm _much _prettier than that pest."

Rebekah had the owner of the voice pinned to the wall in less than half a second, fangs flashing in her show of agitated aggression. "Do you have a death wish because I'm feeling vengeful enough to grant it to the _bitch_ who stabbed my brother in the back."

Not at all phased by Rebekah's fury, Katherine smiled her signature 'cat-ate-the-canary' smile as she looked into the blonde's face. "Is that how you treat your guests? And to think, I was just stopping by to express my condolences," Katherine said with mock sensitivity, causing Rebekah's grip on the brunette's throat to loosen enough for Katherine to shove Rebekah off of her and stride further into the Mikaelson mansion.

"I guess the rumors must be true if the mere mention of anything funeral related throws an Original off of their game," Katherine continued as she walked, throwing a look at Rebekah over her shoulder only to stop and turn back towards the blonde with a dramatic flip of her hair and eye roll. "Do you really think I wouldn't drop in to pay my last respects to the man who chased me for the better part of five hundred years?"

"I don't give a damn why you've come back but you might as well leave, there's nothing here in Mystic Falls to interest you."

"Are you sure about that? Then why are you still here?" Katherine questioned with narrowed eyes. "We both know that these quaint little towns never hold your interest for this long, Rebekah," Katherine said, the smile gracing her lips, in a mocking fashion, once again.

Rebekah only narrowed her eyes as she watched the brunette look around the foyer.

"Exactly. They _don't_ so I'm sure that there's _something_ of interest still here in Mystic Falls. Besides, I like keeping up with the soap opera that goes on here. Maybe I'll stick around for a few episodes," she shrugged, pursing her lips thoughtfully before releasing a coy laugh. "You are _too _serious for your own good. Where's Elijah? He was always _much_ more fun to play with."

With a growl, Rebekah flung herself at the brunette once more, pinning her to the wall. "If you so much as _dare _come anywhere near my brother, I will tear you limb from limb and immensely enjoy watching you writhe in agony as I do. Just because Nik is gone does not mean Elijah will grant you forgiveness because he felt something for you once upon a time. You and your relatives have done enough to ruin my family. So, if you'd like to keep yourself intact, I suggest you be on your way_._"

"_Ouch_. Sassiness must run in your family. Okay, okay. Have it your way," Katherine laughed, seeing Rebekah's look and flashing her signature smile at Rebekah once more as the blonde threw her to the tiled floor. Katherine picked herself up and headed for the door. "I'll be seeing you around, Rebekah. Toodles," she said, waving her fingers at the blonde and disappearing in a gust of wind.

**A/N: Oh. Em. Gee. I want a girl power scene between Rebekah and Katherine more than words can express. I can't think of a better way for Katherine to reappear unless it's while Klaus is still semi MIA. Julie Plec has said that Katherine will not show her face in Mystic Falls until Klaus is no longer a threat and, well... like I said, he's sorta MIA and he probably wouldn't make a move against Katherine while he's in Tyler's body because he won't want to bring attention to himself...at least that's what I think:)**

**Song for this chapter is 'Ten Cent Pistol' by The Black Keys**

**Thanks for reading and please, if you have a minute, review:)**


	6. It Sounds Like a Grave's Silence

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries**

Damon snapped the book shut in frustration and let his head drop against the couch. He looked up at the ceiling and growled, cursing whatever higher power he had pissed off this time. Damon snorted at the unintentional irony of that thought as the door opened, banging against the wall and Jeremy walked in to Alaric's loft. The boy saw Damon and stopped short, studying the dark haired vampire cautiously.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Damon simply shrugged, "Thought I'd find some words of wisdom from a long lost friend."

"So I guess there's no need for me to look through the information he had?"

"Double check me if you want but if I didn't find anything, I doubt you will, kid."

"Yeah, I forgot you're Mr. Know-It-All-Douche."

"Mind you manners, Jeremy. I am _not_ in a very good mood and you of all people should know what happens when I'm not in a good mood," Damon warned, alluding to the time he had snapped Jeremy's neck out of frustration and been extremely lucky with the whole resurrection ring thing.

"You're never in a good mood, Damon, so thanks for the warning but I'll take my chances."

Damon growled but otherwise remained silent as Jeremy picked up a file on the coffee table and began flipping through it as Damon drummed his fingers against the cover of the book he had been looking through before reopening it. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Damon threw his book aside.

"Dammit, Ric!" the vampire said loudly, jumping up and banging his hands against the wall. "Damn you, Ric," he said again but this time it was more of a broken whisper and it caught Jeremy's attention, causing panic to rise in his system.

"He has to have something. It's _Alaric_ we're talking about. We'll find it. We have to."

Damon stayed pressed against the wall, "And if we don't?"

For once, Jeremy didn't know how to respond. Damon's vulnerable state was catching him off guard; the vampire was normally confident to the point of arrogance no matter how faulty his plans were and if there was a reason _Damon _was loosing hope…

Jeremy shook his head at the thought, "No, there has to be something. He…he told me that he'd…that he'd always be here, that I'd never be alone! He _promised_ me."

"Welcome to a _harsh_ reality. We're alone now, no 'Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope' anymore."

"You're not the only who lost Alaric, Damon!" Jeremy yelled.

"But he's the only one that hasn't come to terms with it," a new voice said.

Jeremy's head snapped in the direction of the newcomer and found him leaning against the counter in the kitchen, a sad look on his face. Jeremy's face instantly softened and he felt the tears well up in his eyes. "You promised," he said quietly to Ric's ghost.

"Why do you think I'm here to tell you that you are looking in all the wrong places, Jer?"

Damon noticed that Jeremy was no longer talking to him and looked toward the boy only to find him staring at the empty kitchen. The vampire's own breath caught in his throat as he realized what it had to mean.

"He's here, isn't he?" Damon asked quietly.

Jeremy turned around and nodded slowly at Damon. He looked back at Ric and watched as the ghost of his beloved father figure crossed the space so he was standing right in front of Damon. Ric smiled gently and lifted his hand and placed it atop Damon's shoulder.

"He's right in front of you," Jeremy said. Other than the slight nod Damon mustered, the vampire seemed completely unaware of just how close Alaric was until he lifted one of his hands and gripped the shoulder that Ric's hand was hovering over.

"Jer, tell him it's alright, that everything will work itself out," Ric said, his eyes never leaving Damon's face.

"Damon… he says everything will turn out okay…"

"Tell him there was nothing he could have done to save me. I'm happier knowing that all of you guys are safe from… the _other_ guy. And, tell him that I'm still here. Just because _I _couldn't say goodbye to him doesn't mean he's alone."

"He says that…," Jeremy stopped as the words caught in his throat. Did the vampire really blame himself for being unable to prevent Ric's death? Alaric nodded encouragingly at Jeremy before returning his unseen attention back to the tortured vampire in front of him. "He says that it's not your fault, that there was nothing you could of done. He's happier knowing that we're all safe from his alter ego."

Jeremy had to pause again as he took in Damon's profile. His blue gaze was staring straight ahead, unknowingly into Alaric's face and Jeremy swore he saw a single tear roll down the pale face.

"And… he wants you to know just because he didn't tell you goodbye doesn't…doesn't mean he's gone for good. He says that he'll always be here, you won't be alone forever…he'll always be here for us."

Ric closed his eyes briefly, a gentle smile gracing his lips before he squeezed Damon's shoulder in a brotherly way of farewell. He stood there for a moment longer, watching a couple more tears run down Damon's face.

"Ric?" another all too familiar voice called from somewhere beyond and Jeremy's head snapped in the direction the voice was coming from. It was a voice he would recognize anywhere. "Ric?" she called again, the echo of a laugh in Alaric's name. "It's time to go."

_Jenna, _Jeremy thought, swallowing hard. In his momentary distraction, Jeremy hadn't seen Ric come closer to him and Jeremy was nearly startled when the ghost was almost directly in front of him.

"Everything will be okay, Jer. Trust me."

Jeremy simply nodded as he didn't trust his voice.

"Take care of yourselves. I'll be watching," Ric said, nodding at Damon with a small smile before reaching up to ruffle Jeremy's hair affectionately.

Then he was gone, leaving Jeremy and Damon standing there in silence and mutual understanding that the history teacher they had come to know as a friend, a brother, and a father figure was in a much happier world.

**A/N: RIP Team Badass :'( I need a scene like this more than I need to breathe. You can't tell me that all of Damon's tears during Evil Alaric's death we're because of Elena. Nope. I don't believe it. You can't make me. So...yeah...just gonna go bawl my eyes out. Review if you are, too, lol.**

**Song: Dauðalogn- Sigur Ros (evil song that does terrible things to my emotions, lol)**

**Thanks for reading:)**

**P.S.: Oh, and thank you to all the anons and guests who have been reading and reviewing! You guys make me smile:) Okay, _now_ I'm gonna go bawl my eyes out, lol.**


	7. No Way to Reach Me

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.**

"Hey," she said shyly, biting her lip.

"Look, I know what you're going to do bu-"

"Then just let me say it, please. I love you, Tyler. I really do but I don't know what's going on. I don't know what else I feel and it scares me…and I want to be fair to both of you. You deserve that. You've been nothing but nice to me, and patient and loving. I mean you broke your sire bond for me! But, he deserves it, too. After all Klaus has been through, all the hurt and loneliness, the least I can do, even if I come back to you in the end, is be fair."

Tyler scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Really, Caroline? I can't believe this. Whatever you feel for him has changed you and not for good."

"What?"

"You heard me, Caroline. Before I left town you actually _loved me_ and you _hated him_. And, then, I go away to break Klaus' Sire Bond, you know, the one that nearly ruined my life, _for you_ but I come back and you've been brainwashed by a psychopathic lunatic."

"I have _not _been brainwashed Tyler."

"Whatever. The guy gives you a bracelet-"

"I gave that back to him."

"And draws a picture of you with a horse. Is that what you want? Someone to give you nice drawings of yourself? Because, I can do that, Caroline. I may not be a thousand years old but I _can_ draw, remember?"

"Tyler! It has nothing to do with the drawing. Just let that go, _please_."

"How can you ask me to do that, Caroline? You're all about attention so what is that you want? Do you want someone to fight for you? 'Cause here I am, fighting pretty damn hard against a bastard with a British accent. What more do you want from me, Caroline?"

"Tyler! Why are you being like this?!"

"Like what? The boyfriend who's fighting a losing battle to keep his girlfriend?"

"No! The old you! The douche you that no one liked."

"Yeah, we'll you're back to square one yourself. You're being the shallow, conceited bitch who doesn't appreciate anything anyone does for them."

Caroline just gawked at him.

"Yeah, I said it. I didn't get _one _thank you for doing what I did. Do you have any idea just how much pain I went through for you? So we could be together? But, no, I come back to an ungrateful girlfriend who's been fraternizing with the enemy."

"I didn't have to say thank you because I was _so _proud of you. You did something for yourself, Tyler. And as grateful as I was…am…of what it meant for us, I'm more proud of what it meant for _you_," she said calmly, placing a hand on his face to try and turn it back to her. "I know better than anyone else what it feels like to have your freewill taken away, Ty," Caroline finished in a whisper.

Tyler jerked away and rolled his eyes, "What it meant for me was your safety, Caroline, and I come back here to find you walking right back into danger," he said between clenched teeth.

"Oh my God. Seriously? Do you have to blame everything on Klaus?"

"There you go again! Taking his side. He's gotten under your skin, Care, and you might as well just be honest. If you break up with me to 'figure out' your feelings, you won't be coming back to me."

"Why are you being like this? If we're going to be honest, do you want to 'fess up about Hayley? Don't think for a second that I don't see the way she looks at you and you at her. I'm not stupid, Tyler; I know there's something going on between you two."

"There's nothing going on between me and Hayley. She's just a very good friend who helped me and _cares_ about me. We look out for each other. I just want to keep her safe from Klaus, and, at least, she appreciates it."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "You are _so _hypocritical!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"So, it's okay for you to have unresolved feelings towards someone but when it comes to me, it's not okay? Be honest with me," Caroline said, trying to be reasonable as she begged her tears not to fall, "would you rather us continue to be in a relationship when both of us could possibly have feelings for other people. Wouldn't you rather us figure it out? It doesn't have to be forever, we can still come back to each other in th-"

"I'm done, Caroline," Tyler said with a shake of his head. "I can't fight about this with you anymore. I did what I could and it wasn't enough."

And with that, Tyler walked away.

**A/N: not just because I'm a Klaroline shipper, I swear:P I really do think that at some point in S4 Tyler and Caroline will break up, especially with the addition of Hayley...Candice has said that Hayley will be competition for Caroline as Tyler's love interest.**

**Cred for chapter title goes to 'Vienna' by The Fray.**

**Thanks for reading and please review! **


	8. Still Have My Doubts I'm Damaged at Best

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.**

_"My hand searches for you/ In a dark room/ I can't find you/ Help me."_

All Elijah and Rebekah had to do to get home after Niklaus' 'resurrection' was nudge him in the right direction and Niklaus had gone willingly. A little _too_ willingly. And Elijah should have known that things would be more complicated than that, this was _Niklaus_ they were dealing with, after all.

The siblings had no more than gotten through the threshold of the mansion when it all went to hell.

"I'm getting you more blood," Rebekah whispered, letting her hand rest on his shoulder. Elijah had just nodded in agreement, his hand still gripping Niklaus' elbow more to reassure himself of Klaus' existence than guide his brother.

Klaus whirled on Rebekah faster than lightning, "I don't need it! What I _need_ is for you both to get out of my sight," he snarled, his face changing.

"Niklaus," Elijah warned silently. "You _do_ need it. Let us help you, brother."

Elijah didn't miss the low growl in Klaus' throat but his comments were otherwise ignored as Klaus' anger stayed directed towards their sister.

"_Leave_. Both of you." Klaus snarled once more, staring down his nose at Rebekah in a menacing manner as he pointed towards the door.

"What?"

"Do not make me repeat myself, Rebekah." His voice wasn't loud. It was low and dangerous, like that of a hurt animal and both Rebekah and Elijah knew that a hurt predator was more dangerous and unpredictable.

"Nik, I don-"

"You say I need blood? You're right. I do," Klaus said with a short nod, "_but_ not the blood that you have in mind. You ruined that."

Realization hit Elijah and Rebekah at the same time. Elena. Klaus knew of her transition and Rebekah's part in the doppelganger's death.

"What would you have done in my place? If you were faced with the choice to keep livi-" Klaus opened his mouth to interrupt but whatever words he tried to say were cut off by Rebekah's desperate scream. "I thought you were _dead_!" Rebekah paused, tears running down her face as she started toward Klaus. His glare held her in place so she reached out to him instead. "I saw you get staked," she whimpered, the memory of her favorite brother engulfed in flames still too much to think of.

Klaus growled once more as he turned away from Rebekah. "_Get out_," he snarled over his shoulder as he stalked away, leaving Rebekah and Elijah standing in the grandiose foyer.

Rebekah slowly sunk to the floor, a small hand covering her mouth as if to hold in her sobs and looked up at the eldest Mikaelson with pleading, teary eyes. Elijah closed his eyes and took a deep breath to compose himself. He regarded Rebekah once more with his lips drawn into a tight line before following his wayward brother.

He found Klaus sitting in front of a fire, drinking straight from a bottle of scotch. He silently observed as his brother stared somberly into the flames and in all the time Elijah had spent at his brother's side, he had never seen his brother look so lost.

"You're still here," Klaus said suddenly, his tone accusatory. "I thought you would have run off with your tail between your legs by now."

Elijah swallowed and ventured further into the sitting room, shoving his hands into his pockets as he decided to take his chances with Klaus' notorious rage. "And abandon you when we've just gotten you back from supposed death?" he asked, still studying his brother cautiously. "Where else would I be, Niklaus?" Elijah asked quietly.

Shrugging, Klaus scoffed and rolled his blue eyes in disbelief. "It wouldn't be the first time," he muttered, bringing the bottle back to his lips with raised eyebrows.

"Pardon?"

"Ah, nothing much. It just wouldn't be the first time that you've abandoned me," Klaus snapped, raising his gaze to Elijah's face.

Elijah heard the broken undertone and suddenly looked from the flames to his brother. The look on Klaus' normally composed face was utterly desolate and, thanks to the flickering flames, Elijah alone could see the glimmer of unshed tears in his little brother's far off, blue eyes.

The eldest Mikaelson sighed and, slowly, began to close the space between him and his brother. He reached Klaus' side and placed a gentle hand on the other man's shoulder, opening his mouth to speak, to try and tell Klaus everything he felt, how troubled he had been when presented with the information of Klaus' supposed death. But, the emotional tension in the room proved to be too much for Klaus to take and he stood up in a rush, shrugging Elijah's hand off roughly.

"If you're going to leave then do it, don't try to spare my feelings and wait around, making me believe that you're _finally_ taking all the 'family above all' and 'always and forever' rubbish seriously," Klaus said, blue eyes boring into brown, frantically searching the eldest Mikaelson's face for some sign that he wasn't going to leave Klaus alone but he found nothing. Still processing the information he gathered from his brother's body language, Klaus made a move to brush past Elijah's shoulder and leave the room.

He needed to be alone. He wanted to be alone. It was not that he _wanted_ it, per say, it just seemed that loneliness was Klaus' true curse. He had not had a true friend in his entire existence and every time he felt that he turned a corner with Elijah, something happened to make his older brother run off but as angry and frustrated and lost as he always felt in the aftermath, Klaus could never bring himself to chase Elijah down and shove the dagger in his chest in hopes that the man would come back sooner rather than later.

Klaus was no fool. He knew he needed his brother but he held Elijah at arm's length. He hated disappointment more than he was willing to let his brother, his only respectable father figure, completely into his life.

With all the thoughts and emotions raging inside his head, Klaus stopped in the foyer and looked around. It was empty and much darker in Rebekah's absence. He closed his eyes and let a single tear fall onto his cheek and allowed himself to hold onto hope as he remembered the overjoyed and relieved greeting his siblings gave him when he rose out of that blasted coffin.

And then he felt Elijah's hand squeeze his shoulder.

**A/N: ugh, guys, I've been suffering from major league Original sibs feels. Like you really have no idea, lol. I just really want Elijah to be the one who takes care of Klaus when he gets resurrected or de-desiccated or de-body jacked, or a combo of all three. As much as I love Elijah, I really have started to blame him for a lot of Klaus' issues. I mean, its obvious that Klaus trusted Elijah most (besides Rebekah) so I think the way Elijah keeps running off really really screws with Klaus in a way that Mikael and Esther didin't. I dunno. Just what I think, lol. and I don't necessarily believe that we'll have a Klaus emotional break down in the first episode, I just sorta got carried away but I do sort of hope we see one this season at some point, even if it is a lil OOC.**

**Two songs for this chappie: 1) 'Need' by Hana Pestle (lyrics at the beginning) 2) 'Broken' by Lifehouse (chapter title)**

**Well, unless anyone has a suggestion or I come up with something else, that's really all the chapters I have planned for this. Thanks for reading and please review if you have a minute:)**


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